Description
This Vegan Sticky Sesame Chickpeas recipe features tender chickpeas coated in a rich, sticky sauce made from toasted sesame oil, tamari, maple syrup, and garlic. It’s a deliciously satisfying plant-based dish perfect for a quick weeknight meal, served best with steamed broccoli, quinoa, or rice.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chickpeas
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Sauce and Seasoning
- 3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1.5 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/3 cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth or water, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional for spice)
Instructions
- Prepare Chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly and set aside.
- Sauté Garlic: Mince the garlic finely, ideally with a garlic press, to avoid large pieces in the sauce. Heat avocado or olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix Tapioca Starch: In a small bowl, combine the tapioca starch with half of the vegetable broth (about 2 tablespoons) and whisk until smooth with no clumps. Set aside.
- Create Sauce Base: To the sauté pan with garlic, add tamari, toasted sesame oil, maple syrup, rice vinegar, ground ginger, and the remaining vegetable broth. Whisk together to combine.
- Add Thickener: Stir in the tapioca starch mixture into the sauté pan. Cook until bubbles start to form, indicating the sauce is beginning to thicken.
- Coat Chickpeas: Add the chickpeas to the pan and stir well to coat them with the sauce.
- Simmer Sauce: Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes thick and sticky, about 5 minutes.
- Final Rest: Remove from heat and let the chickpeas sit for a few minutes to fully absorb the flavors of the sauce.
- Serve: Serve warm with steamed broccoli, quinoa, or rice as preferred.
Notes
- The tapioca starch can be substituted with other thickening agents like corn starch or arrowroot powder.
- Tamari is a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce; use tamari for gluten-free diets and ensure low sodium to avoid excessive saltiness.
- If the sauce does not thicken after 10-15 minutes, add an additional 2 teaspoons of arrowroot powder to achieve the desired consistency.
- Maple syrup can be replaced with honey (non-vegan option), brown sugar, or coconut sugar; reducing the quantity will lower the sugar content.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 321
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 9.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 10.5 g
- Protein: 11.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
